...the Oyster Bay money pit...
envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan
...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo..., criticized Western comments on Russia with regard to the crisis in Syria, inquiring, at the same time, about the other countries which "send weapons and money."
In an interview with the French daily "Le Monde", published Saturday, Annan said the countries, which comment on Russia, claim they want a peaceful solution in Syria, but they take individual or collective initiatives that undermine the UN Security Council resolutions.
Annan added that the focus on Russia irritates Russian officials too much, expressing regret over the Syrian opposition's rejection of the Geneva Conference decisions.
" It is strange for the opposition to claim that it was betrayed or sold," Annan said.
The envoy added that the principle of "the responsibility to protect", which was used in Libya, has created a problem since China and Russia have considered that they were deceived.
Annan said "It has been 16 months since the crisis in Syria began, but I didn't start work but since three months," noting that he has exerted utmost efforts to resolve the crisis "peacefully and politically,"
"We have failed and there is no guarantee that we will succeed", he said, adding: "Have we considered alternatives? Do we have other options on the table? I said that before the Security Council,"
Annan saw that Russia has an influence on the situation in Syria, but "I am not sure that the events will be determined by Russia only," he said.
" Iran is a player as it should be a part of the solution and we can't ignore that." Annan concluded.